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Hello, friends! It’s been a long, long time since my last post and for this, I apologize! Life has been overwhelmingly busy with work, with friends, with my newly adopted crippled hamster (yes, a hammy!), and with studying for the veterinary technician national exam. There have also been some recent changes to the way I feel comfortable creating recipes so, finding myself in the recipe writing, experimenting, and cooking “mode” is rare. Hopefully for all, posting this recipe will help me get back to form. So, as you can imagine, with the precious little time I have to cook for myself, when I do cook, it’s almost always easy, filling comfort food. Usually that means a massive, loaded salad, but every once in a while, it’s a pasta dish. I love pasta almost as much as I love casseroles and anything that requires an oven to cook.

Recently, I posted a photo of the less involved version of my Sweet Potato Baked Mac N Cheese on my personal Facebook page that got quite a bit of attention and requests for the recipe so, here it is, folks! This is a “staple” recipe in my book and one that I turn to whenever I need something quick and filling and good enough for lunch the next day. As far as I’m concerned, it gives its maddeningly unjust, sad, and fat laden dairy counterpart a swift kick in the arse–mostly because it’s free of animal exploitation (awesome!), and obviously because it’s delicious. Feel free to add vegan sausage, hot dogs, or broccoli–if you’re so inclined–to make it more hearty. I also recommend adding crisp tempeh bacon or barbecue spices if you like, to make it more “smokey.”

The impending threat of losing power because of Hurricane Irene has got me wondering about what the hell I’m going to eat if the power goes out. Mind you, if the power goes for a few hours, everything in my fridge will be safe. I have plenty of dry goods and raw vegan recipes to keep me well fed for several days. But I’ve been in situations where the electricity hasn’t come back for days (ice storms, living in a rural part of NH, etc.) and on a scale of no fun to awesome…it’s cruel and unusual punishment. Yes, yes, I know I sound like a spoiled American.

Anyway, I went shopping today for raw veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, crackers, and canned goods — all things that will keep if the power goes. It’s like vegans were made to survive the apocalypse! And hell, even if all we get is a “tropical storm” (how exotic) and the power doesn’t go, then I’ll just use these delicious goods to make myself something fancy while I enjoy staying in, hearing the rain pound on the ceiling while I sip on a glass of wine and curl up with a good book or movie and my lovable old pup.

Here’s a super simple, limited ingredient, delicious recipe that I love to make for lunch on a regular, full power day or for picnics, beach outings, and vegan barbecues. Its resourcefulness and use during power outages has made itself apparent many times! As well as how very filling it is! You can enjoy this many ways: in a wrap, on bread, inside a raw bell pepper or cabbage leaf, in salad, or just on its own in a bowl! Make sure your beans aren’t canned in animal products and be wary of those sneaky “natural flavor” claims!

Also, while I have your attention…if you’re in New England this weekend, please be safe, check on your elderly neighbors and bring your pets and any strays you find indoors!

Recently one of my best friends who is working towards veganism (and nearly vegan) asked me to rework one of her favorite restaurant recipes and make it vegan. Obviously, I was happy to help. The recipe she wanted reinvented was The Cheesecake Factory’s “Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic.” I vaguely remember having had this once, but it was a very long time ago. Instead of looking up what was in the restaurant’s dish, I focused my recipe on her description of what the dish was and what she wanted it to be, and came up with this. From what I can see, it is different from the restaurant version, but just as good, no — better because it’s vegan. I didn’t use any grain meat to substitute for the chicken because I was working with this as if I the restaurant version was already vegan except for the chicken so, I just left it out. I figured my friend, Jessie, orders it without chicken anyway. In retrospect, I’m betting Gardein would be a fantastic addition to this, but it’s already a very complete meal without it so you don’t really need it!

The sauce in this recipe is reminiscent of a very garlicky alfredo, but it isn’t pasty and thick like the terrible kinds you find jarred in grocery store shelves. I didn’t roast the garlic because I wanted this to be a quicker fix kind of meal provided that you’ve already got the cashew cream that is used as the base for the sauce, made. This is a dish you can make, when like my friend, you come home from work tired and want something filling, easy, and yet not the typical weekday dinner to feed your family. So I guess that it’s another good thing that this dish is pretty straightforward, can be made it in 30 minutes, and is every bit as good as the picture suggests!

To Jessie — It was a year ago (almost to the day) that you asked me to chronicle what it is I eat regularly. I started this blog mostly to help you get there. Until I can get to Texas and cook for you, I hope this helps! Stay vegan, girl. If I can do it, so can you!

Always leave room for dessert!

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